On 1 November 2025, Maputo, Mozambique, will host the International Conference on Local Tourism Activities and Tourism Statistics (ICLTATS), a gathering that merges grassroots tourism dynamics with data-driven approaches. The event aims to deepen understanding of local tourism ecosystems by highlighting the role of statistics in shaping sustainable and community-centered tourism strategies.
ICLTATS builds on earlier regional dialogues where local tourism actors, including community organizers, municipal agencies, researchers, and private operators, came together to explore how to preserve culture, generate livelihoods, and manage resources. The 2025 edition will carry that spirit forward with greater emphasis on how robust data can guide policy, attract investment, and ensure inclusive growth.
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One of its central objectives is to elevate the visibility of smaller destinations by linking their visitor flows, seasonal patterns, and spending trends to broader national and regional frameworks. In doing so, the conference seeks to equip stakeholders with insights that support balanced development, improved infrastructure, and stronger local tourism supply chains.
Maputo offers a symbolic setting for this dialogue. Mozambique is in the midst of a tourism rebound, seeking to harness its coastal, cultural, and natural assets with greater strategy and focus. Hosting ICLTATS reinforces the country’s commitment to building capacity, encouraging knowledge exchange, and benchmarking progress with the wider Southern African region.
For tourism professionals, planners, and investors, ICLTATS 2025 promises more than presentations and discussions. It is an opportunity to reshape the narrative of local tourism, where data informs decision-making, communities find their place in national strategies, and growth is shared more equitably across the sector. In Maputo this November, a fresh chapter in African tourism is set to unfold.
